Foley, Ala. – (GSN) – Work is scheduled to start following the completion of construction plans on an indoor Aquatics Center that will provide year-round recreation for Foley swimmers.

The center will be built in Max Griffin Park near the site of the outdoor pool that has served the city since 1953.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the new pool will allow local swim teams, children and other residents to use the facility throughout the year. He said some swim teams have had to train in other locations when weather conditions have not allowed the use of the city pool.

“We’re going from a Memorial Day to the start of school facility to a year-round center that more meets the needs of our citizens,” Hellmich said. “It’s time we had this in Foley.”

David Thompson, Foley executive director for leisure services, said swimming is popular in Foley and membership in city swim teams is growing.

“We’ve had over 100 kids for the last couple of years,” Thompson said. “We have a great swim coach, so we have a lot of momentum around aquatics right now.”

The Aquatics Center will be built in Max Griffin Park on West Roosevelt Avenue near the site of the existing outdoor swimming pool.

The current pool will remain open while the aquatics center is under construction. City officials hope to go out for bids on construction later this year. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete after construction begins.

The pool will be replaced with a different facility after the Aquatics Center opens. Hellmich said proposals for facilities at the site of the existing outdoor pool include a splash pad or pavilion. Foley has been developing plans for the center for several years. During a series of public meetings to discuss the project, residents submitted their ideas for the facility.

Thompson said one of the most common requests, to have two pools inside the center, was included in the plan.

“They wanted a therapy pool and they wanted a competition pool, and that’s what we have,” Thompson said. “That’s a great idea because if one of those two pools gets shut down, we can still continue business. Today, if that happens, we’re done for the day.”

The center will also have outside restrooms that will replace the restrooms now in place at the current pool.